Official fees
Kentucky motorcycle fee chart
Motorcycle / moped registration
$18.50/yr
Title application fee
$9.00
Lien filing fee
$22.00
if financed
Usage tax
6%
of price or NADA retail value, whichever is higher
Electric motorcycle fee
$63.00/yr
Figures verified July 2026 against official sources (listed below). Always confirm the final amount with your county clerk's office (Kentucky Transportation Cabinet) - counties can add small local fees.
- Registration
- $18.50/yr
- Title fee
- $9
- Usage tax
- 6% of price or NADA value
- Electric motorcycle fee
- $63/yr
- Register at
- County clerk
Overview
The one real motorcycle-specific cost is for electric bikes: Kentucky's EV ownership fee applies at $63 a year for electric motorcycles (half the $126 charged on electric cars and plug-in hybrids), on top of the standard registration. Everything else - annual property tax, birth-month renewal, county clerk processing - works identically to a car.
Same state, other costs
More Kentucky vehicle costs
Common questions
Kentucky motorcycle fees FAQ
- How much is motorcycle registration in Kentucky?
- $18.50 a year - $2.50 less than a passenger car's $21. First-time registration on a purchased bike adds the $9 title fee, plus the same 6% usage tax that applies to cars, based on whichever is higher: your price or the bike's NADA average retail value.
- Do motorcycles get the same NADA-value tax rule as cars?
- Yes, no exceptions. If you buy a used motorcycle below its NADA book value, the county clerk taxes the higher NADA figure unless your bill of sale supports the lower price - exactly the same rule that applies to any used car.
- Do electric motorcycles pay Kentucky's EV fee?
- Yes, but at half the car rate: $63 a year versus $126 for electric cars and plug-in hybrids, on top of the standard $18.50 registration. Gas-powered motorcycles pay no extra fee.
- Does a motorcycle owe the same annual property tax as a car?
- Yes - motorcycles are assessed on their NADA clean-trade value every January 1, at the same 45¢-per-$100 state rate plus your local county/school/city rate, billed with your birth-month registration renewal exactly like a car.
- Is there a discount for gifting a motorcycle to family in Kentucky?
- Same rule as cars: fully exempt from usage tax if it's a spouse, parent/child, or grandparent/grandchild transfer and the bike was already titled or registered in Kentucky (KRS 138.470(6)). Any other relationship pays full 6% on the NADA value.
Receipts
Official sources
Every number on this page comes from these documents - check them yourself.
